Russell Parks hopes the simple set of tools he’s set up outside his Missoulian Angler fly-fishing shop will make a big impact in the fight to keep invasive species out of area waterways.
“The great thing about our area is all the different rivers we have access to, whether it’s in western Montana or into Idaho,” Parks said.
But anglers hopping from river to river pose a potentially devastating threat to the streams, as they can become unintentional couriers of nasty critters.
That’s why Parks helped set up the area’s first public boat washing station outside his shop.
A quick scrub of boats, boots and waders can go a long way toward preventing the movement of invasive species, which range from mussels to plants to microorganisms too small to see.
“For us, it’s trying to get ahead of the game. However small this might be, it’s a proactive approach,” Parks said. “We all love the rivers and we don’t want them destroyed.”
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The wash opened last week and will be available for use from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week in the Missoulian Angler’s parking lot at 802 S. Higgins Ave.
Anyone is welcome to flip on the power washer, then use the brushes to scrub their boats and hanging rack to wash their gear. There’s enough room so boats can remain attached to vehicles as they’re washed. The drain doesn’t flow back into the city’s water system or rivers, Parks said.
Parks enlisted the help of the West Slope Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Clark Fork Coalition, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana, and the Hellgate Hunters and Anglers to help get the station going.
Invasive Species Action Network executive director Bob Wiltshire, who is based in Livingston, hopes the wash station serves as an example for other fly shops, guide services and fishing lodges around the state. Wash stations can make a “huge difference” in stopping the spread of invasive species, he said.
While a wash station alone won’t remove from boats invasive species such as zebra mussels – which already are devastating some lakes and reservoirs around the country but not yet in Montana – it could help stop the introduction of the “very nasty” VHS virus to rivers here.
“It’s an absolute fish killer that can live in the mud on a boot,” Wiltshire said.
Wiltshire emphasized the need to clean – and dry – boots and waders, along with boats, after every outing on the water.
“If everybody gave some thought to being clean, we’d be a lot better off. Nobody is moving the stuff on purpose, but we have to realize that without intending to, we can be the bad guy,” Wiltshire said.
Fred Kellner, a Hellgate Hunters and Anglers board member, said his group was happy to help get the Missoulian Angler’s wash station up and running.
“It will be really easy for people to pull in with their boat, hose down their boat, their waders and their boots, before or at end of day,” Kellner said.
Like Wiltshire, Kellner wishes more fly-fishing shop owners would follow Parks’ lead and install a wash station.
“It’s an important issue, not only for hunters and anglers, but for everyday citizens,” Kellner said. “We are all depend on our waterways. No one likes to see a field full of knapweed, and no one wants to see their favorite lake or stream filled with invasive species.”
Reporter Jenna Cederberg can be reached at 523-5241 or at jenna.cederberg@missoulian.com.
